Soccer Fans- The Real Hooligans

[fwtcc]

In my personal experience, I would far rather be hit padded up than not.  Now pad-free backyard football, then you may need a breather.  Padded up though, nah.  Not the same.

[DCXCV]

Well, without getting too far into the "real" football debate - doesn't it make sense that the game that existed first (american football was derived from it), is called football everywhere except in the US and is played mostly...duh... with your feet, would be the "real" football? 

And onto the original question... England basically is the home of the hooligan.  Security forces were pretty damned happy England didn't make the European Championship this year so they didn't have to deal with English fans.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_hooliganism 

[KnightofNi]

i have played both. i was a 6'2" 160lb reciever taking hits from 250lb linebackers. that's when i decided i wanted to play defense. i wanted to be the one ripping people's helmets off.

soccer doens't deliver the hits that football does, but requires a lot more stamina. football involves more sprinting while soccer is constant running and trying not to get shoved off the ball at full tilt.

i have had a soccer ball kicked full force 4 ft away hit me in the face. i was left with a black eye and a huge blood blister on my eyelid. i regularly see people get stepped on and kicked where i didn't see that in football.

i havne't played rugby.
i'm not sure i want to though. it looks like almost the same amt of running as soccer, and no pads to take the football style hits.

[junior varsity]

I have played both.

And I'm 5'11" and have been around 230# while playing both.

You don't get a breather or an icepack while the other half your team does some work in Rugby. You are still on the field, bleeding from your face, sucking air through your only piece of 'safety gear' (a mouthpiece) and hoping that the guy who just broke six bones in his face is going to make it out to the lake on Sunday afternoon, it is his turn to by the beer.

In Rugby, when your player is tackled with the ball, the ball hits the ground and you do not pick it up, despite running directly at it. No, you lower your shoulders, grab your friend next to you, and step OVER/ON your teammate who is still on the ground covering his face and assault the other team who is coming from the other direction doing the same. Somebody else grabs the ball while you attempt to destroy the two oncoming 'bad guys' and the poor guy at the bottom gets to enjoy the latest in today's cleat fashions.

Football was nothing but poor conditioning in comparison.

[Super T.I.B]

Rugby League anyone?

Not a very good vid, but you will get my point...

[junior varsity]

I like the All Blacks. The Haka is fun to watch:



And here is a few vid's for entertainment:




(Complete with scrum vs. a car)

[junior varsity]

its a big drinking related sport as well, so turn up the volume and prepare for gobs of profanity:

[fwtcc]

Rugby definitly takes the cake.  I have some friends that play and I wanted to join this year, but... breaking my foot put a pretty big damper on that.  Kind of looking forward to having my face exploded by somebody 80 lbs. heavier.